The National Transportation Safety Board has closed the investigation into a train derailment in Hays on July 16, 2013, that caused an estimated $1.4 million in damages. The investigation found the accident was caused by human error, but could have been avoided if recommendations from the NTSB had been adopted.
After securing cars on a side track, a switch had been incorrectly set, causing the next train to move to the side track, derailing the train and causing a massive fire in the area.
“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the brakeman of train LDG89 15 (the train that was parked on the side track) to return a main track switch to the normal position after the crew had secured the train on a siding track. Contributing to the accident was the inability of the crew of train MSIDV 16 (the train that was in movement) to determine the position of the main track switch in nonsignaled territory,” the report said.
Similar incidents in the past, evaluated by the NTSB, have resulted in recommendations that automated systems be installed to help mitigate the risk of a singe point of failure.
“All of these accidents resemble the accident at Hays, Kansas. In each instance, a crewmember failed to return a main track switch to the normal position. More significantly, these accidents occurred in nonsignaled territory where there is only local indication of switch alignment. The brakeman of LDG89 15 erred when he failed to return the main track switch to the normal position before he and the rest of the crew departed the accident area,” the report said.
While the NTSB has made recommendations that would have stopped the accident from occurring, those recommendations have been rebuffed by the Federal Railroad Administration as being to expensive.
“A single errant act on the part of an individual that can lead to an accident is a single point failure in system safety analysis. If the single point failure is significant and the potential consequences are severe, the risk should be mitigated by additional layers of protection,” the report said.
Three incidents prior to the Hays derailment were cited in the report to be caused by similar situations.
In an effort to encourage children in foster homes, a Fort Hays State University alum is currently raising funds to publish his second book – aimed at foster children – to put a positive spin on their experiences.
“What I wanted to do was find how a foster child could succeed in life, when statistics suggest they will fail,” said Dr. Jamie Schwandt, author of “Finding Your Hero,” in publishing his doctoral work on foster care.
Since he earned that degree, he has already published one book on the topic, but wanted to do something different with this one.
Dr. Jamie Schwandt
“What I wanted to do was something to similar to ‘Succeeding as a Foster Child,’ but I wanted to make it a children’s book,” he said.
With help from supporters on Kickstarter, Schwandt hopes to give foster children examples of people in their lives they can emulate to grow into successful adults.
“I wanted foster children to see their foster parent, their teacher, their coach and their social worker as the good guys, as their heroes,” he said. And the book focuses on that topic.
“The book is centered around little Jamie, so kind of a little me, going from his biological family, where he goes through trauma and tragedy, into a foster family,” Schwandt said. “As he gets into this community, he starts to realize he can dream big, think positive and take action.”
While the book focuses on foster families, community is also important to Schwandt, who has kept the team working on publication local.
“I am working with a small publisher and a team in Hays,” he said allowing for more control and to bring people up with him from a small town.
The book’s illustrator is a FHSU student Emily Hendricks.
Even with keeping the publishing team local and using Kickstarter to raise money to publish, Schwandt has already raised his initial fundraising goal, but still encourages donations to allow for donations of the book to local organizations and any funds not used for this run will help with future projects.
Contributors will help get the book into the community and contributors receive rewards for the contribution, for any amount over $10, which can also be found on the campaign page.
For potential contributors, Schwandt has a simple message: “I want to push this positive message. Help me get this book funded. Help me make this a reality.”
The book will be distributed through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kastle Books, the local publisher.
One of the newer dining establishments in Hays, On the Rocks Bar and Grill, 507 W. Seventh, is offering a pretty sweet deal to area residents with the intention of spreading acts of kindness.
“I want to try a little experiment with all of you,” said Tony Taylor, owner. “Without being too political, I tend to believe that we can get caught in the rat race and lose sight of what really matters, our fellow man.”
The intention to focus on others sparked the idea at the establishment, that carries few rules, instead focusing on positive community interactions.
“I will offer anyone a free meal (excluding beverages or alcohol) every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. if that person in the previous week, Monday through Saturday, does something nice for anyone or organization in the community,” Taylor said.
“Something nice” for the offer covers a wide array of activities.
“You could pick up trash, donate money to animal rescue, mow someone’s lawn for free, carry someone’s groceries, donate time anywhere, compliment five random strangers, basically anything that can change or impact anyone for even one second,” he said.
Participants will document the activity on the establishment’s Facebook page in order to track the good deeds.
“All you have to do is take a picture or write a short description of what you did and where and post it on this page. I will keep track of your name and look for you the following Sunday. I will take care of your meal and all you have to do is take care of any beverages you order, my servers and enjoy the meal you earned,” Taylor said.
It may still be a long time away, but the Hays USD 489 Board of Education discussed the next steps in funding necessary building maintenance at Monday’s work session, trying to find the best solution for aging buildings and outdated facilities that would be mostly supported by a bond issue anticipated to be on the 2016 ballot.
The long list of needs found by an independent committee presented last year are being closely examined by the board, but completing projects suggested by the commission come at a high price – recent budget projections suggest around $93 million – and the board is has little desire to push the measure to vote without examining every contingency.
However, there might be no way to cut corners to lower the price tag to get the districts facilities ready for the upcoming decades, officials said.
“You have two years of committee that said it’s needed,” said Mark Hauptman, assistant superintendent for special services.
“There wasn’t a lot of fat built in,” he said, adding the group listed items that were needed, not just wanted.
At this point, the board is asking for HTK, the firm that would handle the maintenance projects, to break down the numbers more thoroughly and give the board reasons for the full bond issue before beginning to present the plan to the public for input.
“To me, it’s just muddled to look at it,” said board member Josh Waddell.
The current plans from HTK center around the facility needs committee’s list of needed maintenance and at least one board member at the work session wants to put everything on the table to see what could be adjusted in the best interest of the district.
Superintendent Dean Katt further expressed a desire to get the details worked out by the board in order to present the issue to the community for input.
“We need to go out to the public, have these discussions and find out,” he said, adding the the board will not know the feasibility of passing the full bond amount until public input is received.
In the meantime, one project cannot wait for a bond issue to be passed, and the board has to begin addressing it now in order for the projects to be completed in time for the maintenance window next summer.
The heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems across the district were discussed by the board during the meeting after hearing from Terry Clark, service account executive from Performance Solutions.
While Hays High topped the list of the systems that are in the most need of upgrades, replacement of Hays Middle School’s system would provide the district the most “bang for the buck,” according to Katt.
“Deferred maintenance at the middle school and high school is quite high because of aging equipment,” he said.
The HVAC system at Hays Middle School is 20 years past its expected lifespan already, having been installed in 1964, according to the district’s evaluation.
“Every building, every day, we are doing something with HVAC,” said Rusty Lindsay, director of buildings and grounds.
The amount of money that would be saved by a new system is unknown at this time, but installing the new system would provide improved climate control through the Middle School and would save the high cost of replacing components of the old system, including insulation that likely contains asbestos that would need purged before the old system could be upgraded.
A new system would be based on the building’s roof, bypassing the old lines and system altogether.
The new system would also allow for individual areas of the building to be cooled independently and would add cooling to the gym and locker room, however the added cooling would not add extra costs to the district.
The system’s efficiency would outweigh what it would cost to cool the gym and locker room, Katt said.
While the HVAC upgrade would occur during the summer months, the board will need to work quickly to pass the improvement plan in order for the repairs to be made before classes begin next fall.
The full middle school upgrade is expected to cost the district around $1 million.
The Hays USD 489 Board of Education will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Toepfer Board Room in the Rockwell Administration Building, 323 W. 12th.
Among the topics to be discussed is an upcoming bond issue proposition, at a current total of over $93 million. The board will discuss with HTK Architects the proposed upgrades and facility building needs at each of the district’s locations.
The largest portion of the newest proposed budget is at Hays High School, at a cost of over $28 million. That money would fund a new 800-seat auditorium and a 200-seat gymnasium.
The board will also discuss the 20-day enrollment count for the district.
At 9 a.m. today, it became official — the building that has been known simply as The Mall will take on a new persona as Big Creek Crossing.
The name was announced at a naming celebration in the mall’s central court.
The process began in early March as Katie Dorzweiler, property manager, and Cody Dale, marketing director, began discussions on what the shopping center’s new image should be.
“On March 4, 2015, Cody Dale and I had an opportunity to sit down with our parent company’s management and marketing team with one goal in mind: to create a new name for The Mall in Hays, Kansas,” Dorzweiler said in an open letter to the community.
After seeing a trend in feedback about the shopping center, the team saw a need to adjust everything about the center.
The community “felt deflated, let down and frustrated,” Dorzweiler said. And so mall managers moved forward with “a group of experienced retail management minds” to work on how to make the property relevant again.
That group worked “to make this name stand for something to our community, something that they could be proud of again,” Dorzweiler said.
Through exploring why area residents shop at the Hays mall, the desired experience, demographics and comparative analysis a theme came through to the team.
“As we thought about our community, we kept coming back to words such as ‘neighborhood’ and ‘family’,” Dorzweiler said. “Our families actively invest in their children and they value traditions and togetherness. We aspire to include families in our activities and our family focused leasing strategies will continue to add backing to our brand. We want our shoppers to know and feel that this is their mall; their place to shop.”
With the new name the team developed a new brand promise.
“A friendly face, a warm smile, a person you know and that is a big deal. A new perspective on life, afresh look at who we are, where we fit and where we live and that is a big deal. A big part of the conversation is ‘We are your mall, your place to shop with family and friends, we are your neighborhood,’ ” she said.
Beside the change in attitude location also played a big part of the naming decision.
“The property itself is centrally located between the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and Interstate 70,” Dorzweiler said. “While we still have our small town values, we are well aware of the mark we can leave on visitors to our neighborhood. We can be the destination for family activities and family fashion, for you and other surrounding communities.
“So it is with great honor and pride that we not only present to you a new name, but a new perspective, a new persona and a new way to experience shopping with your family,” she added. “We wanted this name to tie back to the strong values and tradition Hays is based on, but even more than that, we want Big Creek Crossing to be where you return to shop and make memories with your family.”
Residential life at Fort Hays State University is about to see big changes as this weekend ground-breaking will begin on the first of many projects aimed at improving on-campus housing at the university.
The 31-bed facility is expected to be ready for students in the fall of 2016 and seeks to serve enterprising students in an inclusive environment to foster entrepreneurship.
The hall is a small piece of the overall upgrades to FHSU’s student housing. The university is also planning to replace Weist Hall and build themed housing on campus – all within the next two years.
“It’s themed housing, and themed is the important word, because it’s not just Greek row,” said Joey Linn, vice president of the Division of Student Affairs.
“By naming this a themed housing plan, we have flexibility in what we want to do,” Linn said.
Right now, this area serves as extra parking, but within the next two years themed housing will be the dominant feature of the area.
Although the building will be open to other groups, fraternities and sororities will be the first to take advantage of the housing, with two sororities and one fraternity having already signed housing agreements.
The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority were the first two groups to sign on.
“Neither of those groups had a current house off campus. I think it was a pretty easy decision for them,” said Jacob Ternes, coordinator of Student Involvement and Greek Life.
The Delta Zeta sorority has also signed on, moving from their current off-campus house.
“We’re excited about the opportunities it’s going to give our students,” said Becky Peterson, director of Residential Life.
With three of the four units already occupied, another building nearby can be easily added.
“We have an opportunity with building one,” Linn said. “We could put another building up there,” in the footprint of the area if more are needed.
“That’s not just the Greek need, but if there is additional needs we see on campus for special groups,” Linn said.
The building will have four units, with 21 beds per unit.
The housing will not only increase housing at FHSU, but might also help make fraternity and sorority life more appealing to students.
“It’s going to relive some of that housing burden from the advisers,” Ternes said, allowing the advisers to focus less on housing issues on more on Greek life.
“I think we’re going to see our students get more connected,” Peterson said.
The last decade hit local fraternities and sororities hard, but FHSU hopes the housing will help kick off a revival of a traditional part of campus life.
“The 2005 to 2008 years were a pretty low spot for our community here,” Ternes said. “But since then, our sororities have been growing exponentially.”
FHSU currently has three sororities and four fraternities, but more are coming back to FHSU.
“This spring, we’re adding Alpha Kappa Lamda fraternity,” Ternes said. “In 2017, we’ve got an agreement with Alpha Sigma Alpha to come back.”
“After 2017, we’ll have nine,” he said.
One of the newer housing developments at FHSU, Stadium Place, will soon have a new neighbor – Themed Housing.
“I think there’s is demand for it on this campus. We’re currently about 5 percent of the on-campus student population,” he added. “If you look at Emporia or Pittsburg State, we could grow that to 10 percent of the on-campus population and be comparable.”
While students in the housing will likely benefit from the university oversight, questions still remain as to exactly how policies will be implemented, but in general,FHSU housing rules will apply to member of fraternities and sororities that live in themed housing.
“We’re still in conversations figuring out what the policy will be like, but our expectation is that the baseline will be residential life policies,” Ternes said. “It’s kind of a blended model between self policing and residential life oversight. Our goal is to train one of the members living in there as a resident assistant.”
Another large piece of the picture is the replacement of Weist Hall, which is happening in conjunction with the building of the themed housing.
While “it’s still in the construction document stage,” Barnett said, a spring or late spring ground-breaking is expected.
Both are expected to be ready for move in fall 2017.
“The new building will be in front of Weist, where it exists right now,” he said.
Building in front of the current building will allow it to be occupied during construction, with demolition planed after the new building is occupied.
Following the demolition of Weist, McMindes Hall will be the oldest residence hall on the FHSU campus.
Funding for the project will mostly come from bonds, but residential life and and university funds will also contribute to the $34 million budget including parking and the two buildings.
The replacement for Weist Hall will have 405 beds and with themed housing the university is looking at a gain in available housing overall.
“Once we get these projects competed, I think our student residential life facilities are from top to bottom are going to be first class,” Linn said. “I would put our facilities up against anyone in the Midwest.”
After decades of being simply known as “The Mall” in Hays, the shopping center currently being rehabilitated through a Community Improvement District is ready to unveil a new name that reflects the desire to become a gathering place for the community.
At 9 a.m. Thursday, The Mall will have a Hays Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony, with entertainment by the Fort Hays State University Band, dance team and a local orchestra.
The public is encouraged to attend the event and enjoy coffee provided by Culligan of Hays.
Two stores in The Mall before the remodel began.
The event will kick off a full weekend of events for the Mall, in conjunction with the FHSU Homecoming and Oktoberfest.
“Along with all the hype going on with Oktoberfest, the Fort Hays game and the parade, we are also having a home-based business fair on Saturday,” said Cody Dale, marketing director for The Mall.
Avon, Pampered Chef, DIY furniture and crafts will be available at the fair.
“The list goes on and on,” Dale said.
The fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. There are still spots available for vendors. To secure a spot interested parties can call The Mall office, visit facebook, or email at [email protected].
What the new name will mean
The events will help kick off the new name and attitude at the property.
“We wanted it to stand for something in the community,” said Katie Dorzweiler, property manager for The Mall. “We want it to feel like a neighbor and a family here.”
As the property is being rehabilitated, so is the mission of the property.
The current Mall logo will be replaced Thursday with a new representation of what the property means to Hays.
“This isn’t just a place to shop,” Dorzweiler said. “We make it, in essence a community center, and so this is a neighborhood hub. This is where families can shop, get everything for school, get their family photo wardrobes, find the latest fashions.”
Frequent events will also help make the property a draw to area residents.
“The reason that outside shopping is so big right now — Legends and those things — is because it’s an adventure,” Dorzweiler said, noting part of her mission is to bring that same vision to a dated interior shopping property and the new image at the property will help.
In general, The Mall is becoming “family oriented with something for dad, mom and the children,” Dorzweiler said.
Changes at The Mall will give residents what they want
“Just the persona The Mall has had … The Mall as a whole has changed,” Dorzweiler said. “What I read is people want these things, and they are already things that are present here in our mall.
“What I would say to that survey: We have it here.”
The Mall in Hays is currently being remodeled including updated lighting, floors and parking. The final look was projected in this image before the work began.
But the property managers understand why area residents are hesitant to come to The Mall after so many years of neglect by previous property owners.
“One of the things we really want to do is invite people back to our mall,” Dale said. “We really encourage people to come back, because the feel has changed and the attitude has changed.”
The name may help draw a crowd initially, but the improved experience, they hope, will keep people coming back.
“Revisit us,” Dale said. “We have changed some things physically,” adding the more significant change may be in the attitude and the service at The Mall.
VICTORIA — Two people were injured in an accident just after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in Ellis County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Buick passenger vehicle driven by Myra J. Kirkelie, 75, Colorado Springs, Colo., was westbound on Interstate 70, approximately 1 mile east of Victoria.
The sedan, traveling west on I-70, drifted onto the north shoulder, according to an eyewitness report. The vehicle then overcorrected and drove across the roadway into the median, hitting the eastbound guardrail. The vehicle flipped in the median trapping the driver inside the overturned vehicle.
Kirkelie and a passenger, Dennis K. Kirkelie, 75, Colorado Springs, were transported to Hays Medical Center.
They were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Last Tuesday, Fort Hays State University issued a safety advisory notifying the FHSU community of an alleged sexual assault that had occurred the previous Sunday. That alert reached more than 6,200 students in less than a minute, an analysis shows.
The Emergency Notification System is part of the FHSU Crisis Management Plan that allows FHSU to provide almost instantaneous alerts to the campus community.
Rave Mobile Safety, the contract agent for the system, provides diagnostics of alerts, which allow for later analysis.
Of the 6,913 individuals who have provided a telephone number to receive text alerts, 98 percent had been received within three minutes and more than 6,200 received the alert within a minute the analysis shows.
Of the 12,537 individuals who provided an email address for the system, 95 percent had received the alert over email within six minutes.
Telephone calls, typically the slowest delivery method, were placed to 11,648 individuals who had signed up for the phone alerts. While tracking how many received the calls is not possible, all calls had been placed within six minutes.
Members of the FHSU community can provide current information for the alert system in the FHSU central online platform, Tiger Tracks.
No further details about the alleged sexual abuse have been made available.
Once a crown jewel of Hays, the Hays Ambassador Hotel & Conference Center, 3603 Vine, has been sold and is set to be razed by the end of the year, replaced by lots for commercial development.
The property has been purchased by Werth and Jennings LLC, made up of local owners Andy Werth and Emery Jennings.
Werth is owner of Andy’s Mud Co., 719 E. 12th, and Jennings works as a real estate broker and co-owner of Rural American Realty Co., 1900 E. 25th.
“Its been purchased by Andy Werth and myself. We’re partners on this project,” Jennings told Hays Post.
Both parties have longtime connections with Hays.
“Andy is a lifelong Hays resident and owns several commercial properties in town,” Jennings said. “I have lived in Hays for about seven years.”
While the hotel is still open for business and is expected to remain open until the sale completes on Dec. 1, work is expected to begin on the property shortly after.
Demolition will be completed by a local contractor.
The demolition of the property will open at least four commercial lots for development, which will then be sold to individual owners.
“We believe that that’s the best commercial lots for sale between Topeka and Denver,” Jennings said.
The commercial development could be a boon for Hays, as land on Vine has been sparse for large commercial development.
“We’re excited about this,” said Aaron White, executive director for the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development.
“From an economic development standpoint, we’ve been getting a lot of inquires in the community from businesses that are interested in purchasing a location,” White said, “particularly restaurants.”
“They want to own property. They want to own the ground they’re on. They want to build their own facility based on their corporate requirements, and there’s little to no property available currently on the Vine Street corridor,” he said. “There’s a lot of property for lease in Hays, but not a lot for sale.”
Developing within the city is also attractive to the developers as no new services will need run to move new business onto the 5.4 acres of land that will become available after the hotel’s demolition.
“The utilities are already there, that’s why we bought it,” Jennings. “There won’t be a lot of hoops to jump through.”
“It’s got a good opportunity to bring in some restaurants that have been looking at the community of Hays, some of them for two years or more,” White said.
While White couldn’t name interested parties, he said several are already looking into building on the land.
“We working and looking forward to have a successful project on it,” Jennings said.
The road to here
While the development of the land is exciting for the interested parties and the city of Hays, many are likely to remember the grandeur of the facility in its heyday and are likely going to feel hints of nostalgia to see it demolished — but in its current state there are few other options.
“They’ve had a lot of troubles out there,” Jennings said.
The property has been through several owners through the years, and has begun to show its age after the current owner, Joshua Joseph, did little to rehabilitate the hotel after its purchase and online reviews since his purchase and renaming have been generally unfavorable.
Joseph owns several hotels through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, under a long list of LLCs, generally similar in structure to the Hays Ambassador Inn — many former Holiday Inn or Ramada convention centers with reviewers at many of the locations finding the hotels to be in disrepair.
City of Hays officials have publicly commented on the poor condition of the facility, going so far as to request bids for redevelopment of the property several years ago.
The closest hotel under Joseph’s ownership is the Atrium Hotel and Conference Center in Hutchinson.
Joseph is currently recovering after being shot in front of the Biltmore Hotel, one of his hotels located in Oklahoma City.
Still many are sure to remember the hotel’s former glory.
“It’s a landmark in Hays as far as I’m concerned,” Jennings said. “Years ago, it was the place to go and the place to be.”
The Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development has completed its annual survey to find out what retail and dining area residents would like to see in Hays and, as usual, big-name chains appeared on the top of the list, including Olive Garden and Target.
More than 1,200 respondents took the survey and answered the majority of their shopping actually occurs outside of Hays.
Respondents reported only 40 percent of shopping was done in Hays, with Salina listed as the most frequent town outside of where Hays area shoppers travel. Wichita took second, and the Kansas City are placed third.
Target was listed as the most desired store with over 700 respondents indicating when shopping out of Hays, the retail box chain received their business.
Survey respondents overwhelming stated clothing stores in general are among the biggest desired shopping locations.
On the dining side of the survey, Olive Garden took the most desired restaurant with 572 respondents indicating they would like to see the chain come to Hays. Red Lobster and Buffalo Wild Wings rounded out the top three.
The couple has been without drinking water in their home for 10 months, after wells on their property became contaminated.
At the last City Council meeting, a motion to supply water to the home died without a second, which would have brought the action to vote.
“That night, after considerable consideration and comments I have made a request for a motion to allow the attorney for the city and the attorney for the McCarters to enter into a pre-annexation agreement,” Kanzenbach said in his statement. “A motion was made, but failed because no other council members seconded the motion. As mayor, I cannot second a motion and I cannot vote unless there is a tie among the council members. It’s unfortunate for the McCarters, but you must remember the City of Victoria has been under phase three water restrictions for over two years.”
Efforts to contact city council members have been unsuccessful. Check Hays Post for more as details becomes available.
A new system would be based on the building’s roof, bypassing the old lines and system altogether.
